Daniil Medvedev did what no one else had done this entire year: beat Novak Djokovic at a Grand Slam.
Medvedev was simply better than Djokovic, winning his very first US Open (and Grand Slam) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Djokovic had history on the line — the fourth calendar year Slam ever and his record 21st Grand Slam title — but after a punishing tournament, three more sets were just too many.
Medvedev started off strong out of the gate, winning three of the first four games. Facing a two-game deficit, Djokovic started changing it up. He went to the net more often, catching Medvedev off guard and forcing him to make errors. But Medvedev’s serve was really working for him, and he won the first set 6-4 in just 36 minutes.
With Djokovic down a set, everyone was wondering: is he in real trouble here, at the worst time possible?
Normally, the answer would be “of course not.” We’ve seen this from Djokovic time and time again — he falls behind early, then comes roaring back in the second set. This was the fifth consecutive match in which Djokovic had fallen one set behind, and once again he started the second set like his pants were on fire.
But he couldn’t keep up the intensity. Medvedev tied it at two games each and then pretty much didn’t look back. Djokovic got so frustrated at one point that he smashed his racket on the ground, then shortly after let Medvedev win three straight games. He rebounded and ended up winning four games, but Medvedev again took the set.
